New Amazon chief needs to think about his company’s role in society February 5, 2021 Amazon’s recent financial report saw it hit another huge milestone, delivering its largest quarter by revenue of all time at $125.56 billion – reaching the $100 billion mark for the first time. This success has much to do with founder Jeff Bezos’s relentless focus on the customer and their unchanging needs: value, choice and convenience. [...]
The financial case for Scottish separatism doesn’t bear real scrutiny February 4, 2021 The story goes that in 1787, as Russian Empress Catherine the Great travelled in the Crimea, her minister Grigory Potemkin erected fake portable villages along her route as a façade to hide deep-seated poverty in the region. The Potemkin Villages, as they became known, were the means by which the gilded monarch was persuaded that [...]
Offices will reinvent themselves to play host to the capital’s social capital February 4, 2021 When Mark Twain’s obituary was prematurely published by an American newspaper, he responded with the now iconic assurance that “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Over a century later, the same could be said of the capital’s offices. For much of the past year, a growing Niagara of newspaper articles have speculated about [...]
GameStop: Might the Redditors target the bond market next? February 3, 2021 They say a week is a long time in politics, but perhaps it is even longer in financial markets. Before institutional investors have even had the chance to fully take stock of last week’s events, which saw the David’s of retail trading get one up on the goliaths of the City institutions by sharing trading ideas [...]
Beware those who’d lock us down and throw away the key February 3, 2021 Rather like dedicated Remainers, pro-lockdown enthusiasts never seem to give up. Their ardour will have been fuelled by leaks over the weekend of results from the epidemiological models. Apparently, even though quite soon all the over-70s will have been jabbed, lifting restrictions before the summer would lead to a massive third wave of the virus. [...]
Too many bosses are using Covid-19 to indulge their Big Brother tendencies February 3, 2021 Controversy around technologies used to monitor employees is not new. However, against the backdrop of COVID-19 with office-based workforces operating remotely, businesses have struggled with how to effectively manage staff and have hastily deployed surveillance technologies. This knee-jerk reaction is perhaps understandable, but employers must be wary. The backlash can be severe, unexpected, and sometimes [...]
Asos purchases Arcadia’s principal brands to improve its own quality perception February 3, 2021 Online fashion giant Asos has announced it has beat competitors to purchase the four main Arcadia brands – Miss Selfridge, HIIT, Topman and Topshop – in order to become the number one fashion destination for young, fashion-conscious shoppers worldwide. Chief executive Nick Beighton said that the brands were a “natural fit” and resonated with their [...]
Debate: Was Asos right to pass over Topshop’s physical stores? February 3, 2021 Digital retailer Asos has picked up Arcadia’s principal brands – but they didn’t bother with the physical premises. A good decision? Mike Colling of the Kite Factory says yes: To bring great brands back to life you often have to cut away dead wood. The news that ASOS has bought Topshop & Miss Selfridge has [...]
Climate co-operation could be welcome boost to the special relationship February 3, 2021 A new US President always brings a renewed sense of hope and optimism, not only to the 50 states themselves but across the globe. Another norm in the early days of any new administration is a jostling for position from foreign allies and diplomats, not only to secure the trophies of early phone calls and [...]
Regulation must deliver transparency and protection for BNPL consumers February 2, 2021 In 2020 UK consumers reduced their collective credit card bill by £10bn, the largest annual reduction since records began. At the same time debit card usage increased sharply as consumers, locked down at home, adopted online shopping in huge numbers. The shift to debit cards has been happening for many years across countries. Millennials, in [...]